Refrigerant container



Jan. 12, 1943. c. D. BONSALL 2,307,987

REFRIGERANT CONTAINER Filed Dec. ll, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 12, 1943. c. D. BONSALL REFRIGERANT CONTAINER Filed Dec. 1l, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 12., 1943 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERANT CONTAINER Charles D. Bonsall, Chicago. lll., assigner, by

mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Devices Company, a corporation of Delaware Application December 11, 1939, serial No. 308,534

s claims. (ci. sa-17) This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities at a predetermined temperature. The essential features ofa refrigerator car are an insulated body to prevent or retard ingress of heat during warm weather and egress of heat during cold weather and a cooling means and a heating means to be used during warm and cold weather respectively.

This invention applies particularly to cars in which the cooling means, preferably containers for water ice, eutectic ice, brine or dry ice, are disposed immediately below the roof of the car. The lading is supported in spaced relation to the floor by a foraminous rack. Flues, preferably associated with the side 'walls of the car, communicate between the cooling means and the space under the floor rack to provide a path for the circulation of air. The path isfrom the cooling means downwardly through the aforementioned iiues, through the space under the floor rack, upwardly through the lading compartment, thereby cooling the lading, and finally to the cooling means from Where the cycle is repeated.

An object of 'the invention is to provide a refrigerant container, which embodies both light weight and the strength to carry a large mass of refrigerant, and which may be conveniently installed as a unit. A further object is to adapt the container to be supported between .spaced apart carlines extending between the opposite side walls of the car.

Another object is to design the refrigerant containers so that the cleaning thereof is relatively easy, preferably by providing readily removable parts, such as the tops. A further object is to provide for the certain retention of a limited amount of liquid within the containers.

The invention has for another object the provision of reinforcing members for the bottom and walls of the container, which members are disposed within the container to retard surging of the refrigerant due to service-movements of the car. A further object is to position the reinforcing members so that a refrigerant may be loaded through an opening in the top of the container and easily distributed to all parts of the container.

Another object of my invention is to provide y a container, which may be readily galvanized or coated with other protecting materials. It is well known that articles made of materials having a large variation in thickness or material severely stressed dueto deformation, have a pronounced tendency to warp when heated or cooled. Con- Cil sequently, I minimize such warping by eliminat ing the causes thereof, noted hereinabove.

Another object is to facilitate the assembly of the container. The adjacent edges of the sheets comprising the container are flanged outwardly in flatwise contacting relation, which relation permits the ready insertion of bolts, easy welding at the edges or the use of rivets wherein the jaws of a compression type riveter may straddle the flanges for the purposesv of forming the rivet heads.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section of a refrigerator car showing the adaption of my refrigerant container to an overhead bunker refrigerator car.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation View of the container shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view with the upper portion partly broken away, of the refrigerant container shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of container, the View being similar to a portion of Fig. 3.

The general parts of the refrigerator car shown are insulated roof 2, side wall 3, oor 4, hatch 5, refrigerant container 6, side wall flue 1, foraminous floor rack 8 and space 9 between rack 8 and iioor 4. A refrigerant container 6 is positioned directly below the roof 2 and adjacent the side wall 3. A drip pan I2 is provided below the container 6 and a partition I4 is secured in an upstanding position at the edge of the drip pan I2. The drip pan I2 and partition I4 cooperate with the roof 2 and side wall 3 to form an enclosing structure II around the container 6, an

air inlet opening I5 being provided by spacing the partition I4 from the roof 2. An air discharge opening II which leads to the flue 'I is formed by spacing the drip pan I2 from the wall 3.

Air circulation is as follows: Air in the lading compartment I8 is warmed by contact with the lading and rises to enter the enclosing structure II through the air inlet opening I5. The air is cooled by contact with the refrigerant container 6 and falls by reason of its greater density through the discharge opening I1 and flue 1 to the space 9 whence it rises through the rack 8 to the lading compartment I8. Cars of this type usually have a row of refrigerant containers near each side wall and directly below the roof so that air owing from the lading compartment iiowsbetween the containers disposed on opposite sides lof the car.

The refrigerant container 6 is preferably a tank having a lower portion and an upper portion 26. The lower portion 25 comprises a bottom- 28A having spaced apart side walls 29 upstanding therefrom and preferably formed integral therewith. I'he upper edges of the side walls 29 are provided with outstanding marginal flanges 36. 'I'he ends of the tank are preferably comprised of substantially vertical walls 32 having outstanding peripheral anges 34. The peripheral anges 34 are in fiatwise contact with the bottom 28 and side walls 29 and are secured thereto by some means, such as the rivets 36 shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the weld 31 shown in Fig. 5, or bolts inserted in the same manner as the rivets 36.

The upper portion 26 preferably comprises a top 46 having depending side marginal flanges 42 and outstanding reilanges 44. The reilanges 44 are adapted to engage fiatwise with the flanges 36 and are securedA thereto, preferably by a readily removable means, such as the bolts 45 or rivets. The top 46 is secured to the iianges 34, preferably by the bolts 46. Welding may be used in ,cases where'it is not required that the upper portion 26 be removable. `The bottom 28 and the major portion of the top 46 are preferably disposed inplanes, substantially parallel, but converging slightly toward a side wall 41, an opening 48 having an upstanding peripheral stiffening ilange49 is provided in the top 46 for loading refrigerant into the tank.

Substantially vertical baffle plates are provided within the tank 6, for both the reinforcement thereof and to prevent surging of a refrigerant therewithin. 'I'he baille plate 56 extends between the end walls 32 and is secured thereto by the flanges 58 and rivets 66 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 or by the weld 6l shown in Fig. 5. The` baille plate 64 extends between and is secured to the side walls 29 by the riveting or welding means hereinabove described in reference to the bailie 56. In the construction as actually shown, the baiile plate 56 consists of two parts 66, each extending between the baille plate 64 and an end wall 32. The baflle plates 66, 64 are preferably spaced from the bottom 28 of the tank 6 and secured thereto at intervals by the spaced apart angle shaped clips 66 riveted to both baille plates 56, 64 and the bottom 28. An alternate construction is shown in Fig. 5 wherein the baille plate 16 has upper portions 1l spaced from the-bottom 28 and lower portions 12 secured thereto, as bythewe1d ing 13 shown in Fig. 5, or flanges 15 and rivets 16 as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. An advantage claimed for the welding method shown in Fig. 5 over the riveting is that acid used for pickling prior to galvanizing, may become lodged behind the flanges with consequent damage to the ensuing galvanize coating.

The intersection of the baille plates 56. 64 is preferably arranged to be below the opening 48 so that refrigerant may be conveniently loaded through the opening to each of the sections formed by the baille plates. A plurality of aper` tures 86 are preferably provided in the side wall 41 for overflow of liquid to cool the air circulating through the flue I1, said apertures being disposed below the fianges 36 to prevent seepage of the liquid between the anges 36 and reiianges 44 with consequent corrosive damage to the bolts 8 l As shown in Fig. 3, the apertures 86 are grouped near the center of the tank 6 and the portions asomar of the side walls 29 adjacent the end walls 32 are substantially imperforate s0 that When a liquid refrigerant surges against the end walls 32 during service movements of the car, the refrigerant builds up to a considerable depth and the imperforate portions of the side walls retain the refrigerant within the container.

Fig. 5 shows a baille plate 16 extending upwardly at substantially to the top 46 of the tank 6. The top 46 is preferably secured to the' baille.

plate 16 by some means to prevent deflection of the top 46. The securing means may be stud bolts 81 secured to the baille plate 16 and extending through the top and nuts 88 on the stud bolts tightened against the` top 46. The baille plate has a lower portion 89 below the opening 48 to facilitate the loading of refrigerant into the tank.

The tank 6 may be supported in the car byany convenient means. 'I'he means shown comprises carlines 93, which may be channels with their webs vertical, extending between and secured to the side Walls 3. The carlines 93 have secured thereto outstanding brackets 94, preferably having substantially horizontal surfaces 98. 'I'he tank 6 has secured to the ends thereof outstanding brackets 91, preferably having substantially horizontal surfaces 98 adapted to engage in flatwise relation the surfaces4 96 of the brackets 94. Bolts or rivets may be used to secureg'together the brackets 94, 91.' Longitudinally extending members may be used in place of the tank brackets 91 to support the tank, which members ,may extend between the carlines 93 and be secured the side walls 29 of the tank 6.

The top 46 of the tank 6 is preferably disposed in spaced relation to the roof 2 of the car and may be inclined at a dilerent angle as shown in Fig. 1. This arrangement is to permit Ventilating air to ow through the hatch 5 and into the lading compartment I8. A wire screen 99 is preferably provided to prevent passage of solid refrigerant.

It is readily apparent from Fig. 2 that the tank 6 is comprised of an upper and a lower portion. The lower portion comprises the bottom 28, side walls 29 and end walls 32 secured together with relative permanence by the rivets 36. The upper portion is secured to the lower portion preferably by the bolts 45, 46 and may therefore be readily removed for cleaning, repairing or galvanizing.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the prei ferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not' limitedto the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A tank for use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower portions, said lower portion comprising a bottom and integrally formed upstanding side walls provided with outstanding marginal anges on the upper edges thereof and end walls having outstanding peripheral anges disposed in fiatwise relation to said bottom and side walls and fixedly secured thereto. said upper portion comprising a top having depending side marginal anges and outstanding reanges engaged fiatwise with the side wall flanges and means to removably secure said reflanges to said side wall flanges and said top to said peripheral flanges.

2. A tank for use ina refrigerator car comprising upper and lower portions, said lower portion comprising a bottom and upstanding side walls provided with outstanding marginal flanges on the upper edges thereof and end walls having outstanding peripheral flanges disposed in flatwise relation to said bottom and side walls and fixedly secured thereto, said upper portion comprising a top having opposite depending side marginal flanges of equal depth and outstanding refianges engaged fiatwise with the side wall flanges and means to removably secure said refianges to said side Wall flanges and said top to said peripheral flanges, said top and bottom being disposed in planes converging toward one of said side walls, one of said side walls having apertures therein immediately below the outstanding marginal flange.

3. A tank for use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower portions, said lower portion comprising a bottom and upstanding side walls provided with outstanding marginal flanges on the upper edges thereof and end walls having outstanding peripheral flanges disposed in flatwise relation to said bottom and side walls and secured thereto, said upper portion comprisingv a top having depending side marginal flanges and outstanding refianges engaged flatwise with the side wall flanges, a hatch opening in said top and means to secure said reflanges to said side wall flanges and said top to said peripheral flanges and a substantially vertical baille plate ex' tending between and secured to opposite walls, said baille plate having a part of the upper edge thereof secured to said top for stiiening the top and another part of said upper edge below said hatch opening spaced below the level of said top.

4. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator oar comprising a bottom and upstanding spaced apart side and end walls, said bottom and walls being substantially imperforate except for apertures in at least one of said side walls in spaced relation to said bottom, each of said apertures being spaced from said end walls a distance at least one-fourth of the distance between end walls.

5. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising a bottom and upstanding spaced apart side and end walls, said bottom and walls being substantially imperforate except for apertures in at least one of said side walls in spaced relation to saidV bottom, said apertures being confined to portions of the side walls having lengths not greater than one-half the distance between the end walls, said portions being disrgsed substantially midway between said end wal 6. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car wherein a drip pan is spaced below the bottom of the container to catch overflowed liquid and to form a passage which comprises part of the cold air circulating system, said container comprising a bottom and upstanding spaced apart side and end walls, said bottom and walls being substantially imperforate except for apertures in one or both of said side walls in spaced relationto said bottom, each of said apertures being spaced from said end walls a distance at least one-fourth of the distance between end walls.

7. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising a bottom and upstanding spaced apart side and end walls and a substantially vertical baille extending between and secured to said end walls, said bottom and walls being substantially imperforate except for apertures in one or both of said side walls in spaced relation to said bottom, each of said apertures being spaced from said end-walls a distance at least one-fourth of the distance between end walls.

8. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising a bottom and upstanding spaced apart side and end walls, a substantially vertical baille extending between and secured to said end walls and a second baille intersecting the rst mentioned baille and extending between and secured to saidside walls, said bottom and walls being substantially imperforate except for apertures in one or both of said side walls in spaced relation to said bottom, each of said apertures being spaced from said end walls a distance at least one-fourth of the distance between end walls.

CHARLES D. BONSALL. 

